(NEXTTEL) - Today, Vietnamese Prime Minister’s Special Envoy, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially paid a visit to Cameroon and met with Prime Minister Dion Ngute in an effort to enhance bilateral cooperative relationship, and importantly to seek for appropriate solutions for the serious conflict at Viettel Cameroon SA (operator of the Nexttel mobile network). On this occasion, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy and Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Cuong met with Cameroon Prime Minister Dion Ngute to give a letter from Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, exchanging and working with many Ministries and Authorities of Cameroon. This is an urgent diplomatic action from the Government of Vietnam since Mr. Baba Danpullo and Bestcam, the Cameroon partner in the VCR joint venture have taken many illegal actions to prevent Vietnamese people - the party contributing 70% of the joint stock capital- to go to work for branches of VCR joint ventures throughout Cameroon from 11/2018.

It seems that the issue of Nexttel is the most concerned content in the program of the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Vietnam. In fact, Joint Venture VCR of Viettel Group in Cameroon is only one of four direct investment projects worth more than 1 billion USD of Vietnamese enterprises in this country. The issue of Nexttel concerns the Government of Vietnam because the resolution of Nexttel's difficulties will help not to slow down other enterprises of Vietnam want to expand cooperation with Cameroon in other areas such as hydropower and hotels, cement, agriculture, food processing, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong said that Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid special attention to resolving conflict peacefully at Viettel Cameroon SA Joint Venture in the context of attaching importance to cooperation between the two countries and preserving friendly relations. Good tradition between the people of Vietnam and the people of Cameroon. He also affirmed: "The Government of Vietnam is responsible for protecting Vietnamese businesses abroad, including the investment of Viettel in Cameroon, worth up to 210 billion FCFA, calling on the Government of Cameroon to express Viettel Global's foreign investment protection points and actions, in accordance with Cameroon's laws and bilateral agreements and international commitments of each party ”.

Many international and local analysts believe that Viettel Global's withdrawal from Cameroon will leave very bad consequences for Cameroon's investment environment, when Viettel Global has succeeded in 13 investment markets throughout the world from Asia, Latin America and Africa. In particular, the cause of the withdrawal from the market stems from the Cameroonian Government does not help protect foreign investors against the blatant law violations of local partners Bestcam to annex foreign partners accounting for up to 70% of investment capital, taking advantage of the investment from technology, know-how and finance of foreign investors.

Besides of the above-mentioned foreign direct investment, Vietnam has import deficit from Cameroon, with the total trading turnover reaching US$227,5 million (as of 2017). Viettel’s telecommunication joint venture alone has created more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs for Cameroon people. Viettel’s social welfare programs are greatly contributing to the growth of Cameroon’s people and the nation, of which 15,000 local people have been given free medical check-up. These are many huge benefits that cannot be ruined by a single tycoon’s covetous attempt that obviously affect the common benefits of the Cameroon people.

In addition, if the VCR works well, it is also a bridge to help the Government of Cameroon access new technologies to develop other services based on the internet and the digital economy by standing behind VCR as Viettel Telecommunications Group - one of 30 companies. The world's largest telecommunications company with 90 million subscribers, and operates in 13 countries. These are the great benefits that the Government of Cameroon needs to mention between protecting the financier and on the other hand is the great common interest of the community and the people of Cameroon.

Commenting on the prospect of a high-level bilateral meeting, Mr. Do Manh Hung, General Director of Viettel Global said: “We hope the Cameroonian government will fully understand Vietnam’s goodwill and considers the essential benefits of the Cameroon people as dealing with Nexttel’s disputes. Through diplomatic path and protection policy of foreign investment in compliance with Cameroon law and international practice, as well as the agreement between the two joint ventures is the most reasonable way to handle conflict, before the The case must be brought to the international court, where it will certainly leave bad consequences for the investment environment in Cameroon. ”

The visit of the Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of Vietnam will continue until May 7, 2019, in addition to working with the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong is expected to have meetings related to trade cooperation, Investment, agriculture and telecommunications with SEM Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng, Justice Minister SEM Esso Laurent, SEM Issa Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development SEM Mbairope Gabriel village, SEM Senate President Marcel Niat Njifenji, President of SEM Congress Cavayé Yéguié Djibrin.